In recent days, the vibe emanating from Mitt Romney’s campaign has grown downright giddy. Despite a lack of any evident positive momentum over the last week — indeed, in the face of a slight decline from its post-Denver high — the Romney camp is suddenly bursting with talk that it will not only win but win handily. (“We’re going to win,” said one of the former Massachusetts governor’s closest advisers. “Seriously, 305 electoral votes.”)

This is a bluff. Romney is carefully attempting to project an atmosphere of momentum, in the hopes of winning positive media coverage and, thus, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

He goes on to list the ways that the Romney camp is faking out the media. But here’s the kicker…

Obama’s lead is narrow — narrow enough that the polling might well be wrong and Romney could win. But he is leading, his lead is not declining, and the widespread perception that Romney is pulling ahead is Romney’s campaign suckering the press corps with a confidence game.

Saying “his lead is not declining” disqualifies this as actual journalism, and puts it squarely in the camp of Obama boosterism. Chait isn’t the only one pushing this narrative, TPM’s Josh Marshall echoes Chait’s points. What neither bother to do is show today’s ABC/Washington Post tracking poll:

Chait and Marshall are just plain wrong. Obama is not leading the race anymore (it’s either a slight Romney advantage or a statistical tie), and the lead Obama really did have has vanished. The new mission for Obama’s media boosters now appears to be “hide the decline.”

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About The Author

Doug Johnson is a news junkie and long time blog reader, turned author.

GarandFan

“This is a bluff. Romney is carefully attempting to project an atmosphere
of momentum, in the hopes of winning positive media coverage and, thus,
creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Really? “A bluff”? KNOWING that ‘the media’ is in the tank for Barry? Seems to be a lot of PROJECTION going on there.

jim_m

Of course the left thinks it is a fabrication. They can’t comprehend that dem +9 polls are showing Romney tied or ahead. Just as in the same way they could not conceive of the image that Romney projected in the debates to be anything other than a fabrication because they know that what they have been portraying in the MSM for months is the truth regardless of how Romney really is.

For many on the left the narrative is far more real than reality.

914

They can ‘hide the decline’ but they cannot hide the last 4 miserable years under Barry’s leading from behindership. The most radical partisan and unqualified hack to ever sit in the Oval office.

914

The working class and every other class of our Country cannot afford four more years of hurricane Hussein..

herddog505

What a change a debate makes, eh? A few weeks ago, Mittens was a dead duck, a hopeless loser who never had a chance. Now, he’s some sort of hustler who’s success is a con game he’s – somehow – getting past the layers of editors and fact-checkers.

Wild_Willie

I will tell you exactly how to know who is winning. The liberals are absolutely shrieking. Watch the news shows and see how their emotions cannot be contained. They are panicked. They are in disbelief. It happens every time reality strikes them. ww

Brucehenry

I don’t know about the polls, but if Obama does win this thing, especially if he wins electorally but loses the popular vote, I expect howls and shrieks of “fraud!” and “treason!” and “water the tree of liberty!” and “second amendment solutions!” from the right. Especially from the Wizbang comment section.

EricSteel

Except it always seems like the Left that screams about voter fraud and stolen elections. Just in case you forgot about 2000, and 2004. And don’t forget that the Left is bound and determined to block any kind of reform to prevent voter fraud.

jim_m

Prevent it? Hell, they are banking on it to win the election. They know that they can’t win without it.

As for Bruce’s claims about the right complaining, it isn’t the GOP that has problems conceding elections when they are close. Recent history (Wisconsin) shows that it is the left that riots in the streets when they lose.

herddog505

Exactly. For all the lurid accusations of RAAAAACISM and “terrorist!” leveled at the Tea Party, they are overwhelmingly peaceful and tidy. There were not riots – even threats of riots – after Barry won in ’08. In contrast, as you say, we have IOWS engaging in riot, arson, sh*tting on police cars, and general bad behavior, as well as the disgraceful display by dems in Wisconsin as well as democrat “fleabaggers” in (IIRC) Texas and Indiana. Let us also not forget the NBPP hoodlums standing outside a polling place with clubs; it wasn’t a GOP attorney general who dropped those charges.

Brucehenry

I hope I AM wrong. If it comes to pass that Obama wins a close one, we will see.

I’ve personally suspected that all this ACORN conspiracy-mongering, faux outrage about the nearly nonexistent “problem” of voter fraud, was prepwork for contesting the ’12 election if it turned out close. Perhaps I’m as paranoid as Jim is.

Remind me — I’m sure I can count on you guys — if it’s plain I’m wrong about this a couple of weeks or months after the election, I’ll publicly admit it here.